The reading material I take with me is very different than what I might read before a trip.

Prior to a trip I might read fiction that is pertinent to my upcoming destination. I am currently re-reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" for my upcoming Savannah trip. Sometimes it is a book that helps me decide on a destination to begin with.

I usually go to the library or half-priced book store where I can buy several old paperback books for a trip. Nothing too heavy. Something that fits in a purse.

I like to buy old paperbacks so I don't feel so guilty because I tear out the pages as I read. This way, that ever present book in my purse gets smaller and smaller.

Most of all, I've learned to be careful while reading in train stations or airports. I once missed a plane in St. Louis because I was so focused on a book that I sat right there and read a book while everyone else boarded and the plane took off!

Cchottel, you had me laughing out loud on that one. I'm always afraid I'm going to do just that so I usually don't read until I get on the plane - I figure there's less of a chance not knowing that it's time to get off the plane than there is not knowing it's time to get on the plane. :)

Believe it or not, the representative at the airline counter I had to admit my stupid mistake to said that it happens all the time. He called it "Airport Trance." He thought it was a combination of fatigue and a focused effort to exclude the noises around a person so they can read and relax. In ends up almost like a self-hypnosis.

I believe it happens a lot. If you've seen the series Airline on A&E, you see the customers all irate because they can't believe someone didn't tell them they're plane was boarding and they were sitting there the entire time. Of course, on the show they've usually been drinking (lot's of drunks spend their days in the airports).

I don't read a significant amount of books normally, so I might pack one but I would probably not read it. I do however read a lot of papers and magazines, even the terrible airline magazines. 5-10 minutes is about all an article takes and is about all the attention span I have when travelling.

In my trip to Europe next week, I plan to take, MAYBE, one magazine in addition to the travel guides and then purchase some local magazines in London and Paris. I'm weird like that.

b_in_d, i don't find that weird at all. i forget what all i've said above, but i am a voracious reader at home. but i've got better things to do when i am traveling. also my attention span is lacking because of all the other stimulation.